


Something Borrowed, Something Orange

by Stariceling



Category: UC
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-10
Updated: 2007-01-10
Packaged: 2017-12-05 18:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing scene from the side story "Juxtapose." We know Kelsi got Ikku to help her pick out some new clothes, but where did Nicodemus find that shirt?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Borrowed, Something Orange

**Author's Note:**

> Written almost a year after the storyline in question, but oh well! Still the one time I squeed like an idiot to see Naim NOT wearing his signature shirt.
> 
> (The dark blue sweater mentioned is the one Nicodemus wears to the hospital in a later chapter. See, he totally does have normal clothes! Even if they lack color.)

Nicodemus was sure he was going to win that stupid bet. He already had the clothes he needed at home, and he seriously doubted that Kelsi could say the same. He also expected she would have assumed he didn’t even own anything with color.

Anyway, what mattered was that he didn’t have to resort to shopping for clothes now. He had a perfectly suitable navy blue shirt he planned to wear. It really stood out in his closet as far as having actual color, so it should be perfect.

It wasn’t until he actually pulled out the shirt he had decided on that it occurred to him that it might not be the most colorful thing. In fact, it looked almost black when he took it out of his closet.

It was the right shirt. Nicodemus held it against a black shirt to check, and he could tell it was blue. Without the contrast it was hard to tell. It did have color, but he doubted that Kelsi would consider it an acceptable substitute for his usual black.

After a methodical search through his closet he did unearth a shirt that was quite obviously blue, but by then he was pretty sure that he was supposed to come up with something that was bright red or yellow.

Nicodemus did not want to go shopping for a shirt that he only intended to wear once. Plus, knowing Ikku, just owning the shirt could be hazardous. She had been after him before to add more color to his wardrobe, even though he didn’t think she had been serious. He was pretty sure she was just joking, especially since she had made a point of stealing Naim’s shirt for him. (How did she get it away from him in the first place? Nicodemus had no idea.)

Now that he was thinking about it, why did their infamous Prince of Apathy make a habit of wearing such bright colors? It didn’t undermine him, but now that Nicodemus was thinking about it, it had to be some sort of false advertizing at the very least.

He couldn’t help wondering if Naim would be more willing to loan out one of his shirts if he wasn’t having it unceremoniously snatched off of him. It couldn’t hurt to ask. . .

Okay, it could, and it probably would, but not so much that Nicodemus wouldn’t try.

Deciding he should ask before it got too late to give up and go shopping, Nicodemus dug out his cell and found Naim’s number. Somehow, Naim answered before he gave in to the nervous compulsion to hang up.

“Nicodemus.”

“Um. . . Naim? Hi.” Whether it was caller ID or ESP that had identified him for Naim, the greeting threw Nicodemus a little off balance. He half-guessed that random pleasantries like ‘how’re you doing?’ or ‘run into any demons on your way home?’ would not make this conversation any less uncomfortable, so he skipped right to, “I was wondering if I could borrow a shirt for tomorrow, and I just. . .” he trailed off, doubting he would get anything good out of this.

Nicodemus pulled the light-blue sweater out again. It wasn’t that dull of a color, really. . .

“Hmm?” was the response he got from Naim.

“I kinda made this stupid bet with Kelsi, but it was her idea! She started it, and then she called me an angst-filled sock monkey! And now I have to wear something colorful tomorrow because she bet I couldn’t.”

“Mm-hm.”

“I do have things,” ‘one thing,’ Nicodemus admitted mentally, “with color, but if you could lend me a yellow shirt or something. . .”

“Hm.”

Nicodemus wasn’t sure if that flat noise was meant to be a comment on his situation, or an ‘I’ll think about it.’ It didn’t seem to be a ‘no.’

“So, could I borrow something?” Nicodemus wondered if Naim would resort to actual words to accept or deny his request. “Please?” he added as a hopeful afterthought.

“Mm.” Naim hung up.

Nicodemus took his cell away from his ear and gave it a reproachful look. Apparently Naim was even more inscrutable than Nicodemus had given him credit for. All of his responses, while being entirely lacking in words, had seemed to be encouraging Nicodemus to continue. Now it seemed he had simply gotten fed up, and hung up.

Fine, Nicodemus decided, blue would be good enough. At least as long as Naim didn’t mention his call. This was Naim after all. One big plus to dealing with him was that even when he was unhelpful, he was very unlikely to bother to rub Nicodemus’ nose in it.

Nicodemus set out the blue shirt and went into the kitchen, putting the bet firmly out of his mind in favor of food. He wasn’t going to dwell on clothes problems now.

At least, he didn’t dwell on his problem until it showed up at his front door.

Nicodemus was wary of opening the door when someone knocked firmly on it. He was used to hearing Ikku’s noisy little dance of impatience outside, not two hard knocks followed by silence.

Then again, he couldn’t imagine Naim dancing in impatience about anything, and it was Naim he found waiting for him. Nicodemus blinked in surprise at his visitor as Naim held out an orange bundle to him.

“Naim? What are you doing here?”

“You still want this?”

“Sure.” Nicodemus took the bundle automatically, realizing that Naim was offering him a shirt. His orange shirt. That would be more than enough color to satisfy Kelsi. “I could have come to pick it up.” If it had occurred to him Naim would be likely to loan it to him, he might have even gone over to see Naim to ask in the first place.

“It was on my way.”

Nicodemus tried not to feel weird, looking from Naim down at the shirt he was now holding. Hadn’t this shirt been shredded by a demon the last time he saw Naim wearing it? It didn’t look as if it had been damaged. Did Naim have a whole collection of identical orange shirts? Where had he gotten even one shirt this particular color in the first place?

Where had Naim been on his way to that this was convenient?

There were too many questions. Nicodemus discarded the idea of trying to figure out Naim in favor of at least attempting to interact with him.

“Do you want to come in? I can get you a sandwich, or coffee or,” Nicodemus did a quick mental survey of his kitchen and came up rather short, “something.”

“No thanks. Just be sure-”

“I’ll try not to bleed on it.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.” Naim didn’t look or sound annoyed by the assumption, but Nicodemus got the impression that he would have been if it wasn’t too much trouble. Nicodemus was pretty sure that he had been more expressive, or at least less flat, over the phone.

“Sorry.” Nicodemus folded his arms, hugging Naim’s shirt to his chest. He was just going to be glad to have it, glad Naim was willing to loan it to him, and glad he didn’t have to drag himself out shopping. “What were you going to say?”

“Nothing.” Naim turned and started back toward his car. “See you tomorrow.”


End file.
